Apple Australia refuses to sell products to Iranian customers

Following discriminatory policies of Apple towards Iranian customers in the US, the company’s employees in Australia have also refused to sell their products to Iranian customers.
Sydney student Mahsa Javam was denied Apple products at an Apple store in the Sydney suburb of Castle Hill, where she was told by a staff member that because she had an Iranian background, she couldn’t buy anything in the store.
Mahsa is an Australian citizen of Iranian descent and was planning on visiting Iran on holiday. She says she felt embarrassed and surprised by her treatment.
“What happened to me was a case of discrimination on the base of race and nationality as well as racial profiling which are all against what Australia stands for and against our law,” Javam told Press TV.
“I’m surprised that the Australian government has not yet done anything about this,” she added.
This wasn’t the first time a customer at the store was refused buying an Apple product due to their travel destination. This time, however, Apple store staff assured this had nothing to do with the customer’s background.
The only way to know about the banned exporting is on Apple’s US website buried in their legal section under ‘Export Compliance’ and the regulations don’t mention Apple products can’t be taken to a banned country temporarily such as a holiday, or a stopover.
An Australian sub-website exists, but redirects to the US legal information for exports. Apple Australia didn’t respond to any Press TV queries.
Apple has recently been the target of criticisms and lawsuits for its discriminatory policies.
“The US holds complete embargoes against Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria,” Apple says on its website.
Apple is wildly notorious for advocating racism as a main part of its policies and the recent move can be interpreted as an instance of the company's exercising racism.
“The exportation, reexportation, sale or supply, directly or indirectly, from the United States, or by a US person wherever located, of any Apple goods, software, technology (including technical data), or services to any of these countries is strictly prohibited without prior authorization by the US Government.”
Apple store employees in the US refused to sell any products to Iranian customers, saying they followed the company’s official policy.
In May 2011, two African-American men dragged the company into the court alleging of racial discrimination against them at an Apple Store in Manhattan.
The duo filed a federal law suit against Apple after a Caucasian Apple employee allegedly asked them to leave the store only because of their skin color.
TE/TE